Wednesday

As cup-of-coffee call-ups go, last year's was a small. This time, Matt Grzelcyk is trending toward a medium, and hoping to upgrade to a large, with unlimited refills.

BOSTON — As cup-of-coffee call-ups go, last year’s was a small.

This time, Matt Grzelcyk is trending toward a medium, and hoping to upgrade to a large, with unlimited refills.

The Bruins’ 23-year-old defenseman played his seventh NHL game on Wednesday night, his fifth this season. Most important, it was his fourth straight game since a Nov. 22 recall from AHL Providence.

“It’s been a great experience so far, for sure,” said the second-year pro. “Getting called up this time, I just want to stick around as long as I can, make more of an impact.”

Grzcelyk, the Charlestown-bred son of a TD Garden “Bull Gang” member who played at Boston University (the Bruins selected him in the third round of the 2012 draft, at No. 85 overall), was called up from Providence once last season. He made his NHL debut on Dec. 14 at Pittsburgh, got into his first NHL game at the Garden the next night against the Ducks, and then returned to the AHL for the remainder of his rookie year.

Grzelcyk was in this season’s Opening Night lineup against the Predators. Two days later he was in Providence, where he played until the B’s returned from a three-game trip to California. His first full week in the NHL began last Wednesday at New Jersey, where an assist on Jake DeBrusk’s goal was his first NHL point. Two days later he scored his first goal in the league in a 4-3 decision over Pittsburgh.

“There’s more familiarity this time” with the NHL, Grzelcyk said. “You do feel more comfortable after going through two (NHL training) camps, and playing in an Opening Night game.”

A smallish (5-foot-9, 174 pounds) puck-moving defenseman, Grzelcyk has been paired with veteran stay-at-homer Kevan Miller, averaging about 15 minutes through the first three games of this call-up.

“I think he’s done a great job so far,” Miller said. “It’s not easy coming up, but … it’s not [Grzelcyk’s] first year pro, either. He knows the drill.

“We try to spend a little bit of extra time talking, communicating, making sure we’re on the same page within the game. I try to help as much as I can.”

Grzelcyk, whose recall ultimately resulted in a return to Providence for fellow second-year pro Rob O’Gara, “has done what we’ve asked, for the most part,” said coach Bruce Cassidy.

“He’s defended pretty well. He’s always going to move the puck well. When he has his legs and pushes the pace, I think that’s when he really separates himself from some of the other guys in our lineup.”

Grzelcyk wants to fit into the lineup as much as he wants to stand out, and for as long as possible.

“I’m trying not to get too comfortable,” he said. “Obviously, you don’t want to get too used to being here, but it is nice to have a longer stay than last year.”

The lineup

With David Krejci back out of the lineup only five games after returning from an 11-game absence with an unspecified injury, Cassidy settled on Riley Nash as his No. 2 center over David Backes, who returned roughly a month ahead of schedule from surgery to remove a portion of his colon. “Backes hasn’t played in a long time,” the coach said, “so to throw him into the middle, to play a 200-foot game right away, would be a big ask.”

Cassidy also didn’t see Ryan Spooner, who had missed 15 of the previous 17 games with a groin injury, as a viable No. 2 because “Ryan hasn’t played a lot of hockey, so he’s trying to find his game and where he slots in.” Spooner played for just the eighth time in 23 games this season on Wednesday.

Around the boards

Cassidy said there’s a chance that rookie winger Anders Bjork, who has missed seven games with an undisclosed injury, has a chance to return on Saturday at Philadelphia … Defenseman Adam McQuaid skated on Wednesday for the first time since he broke his right fibula blocking a shot against the Canucks on Oct. 19.

Mike Loftus writes for the Patriot Ledger of GateHouse Media.

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